Qiang Pikeman

The Qiang Pikeman was a pike infantryman recruited in the Imperial Chinese Army since the BC era.

History
The Qiang Pikeman was the standard anti-cavalry infantry unit of the Chinese civilization since times immemorial, as the pike was invented as one of the first weapons. Deployed en masse, they could hold off a large cavalry attack and was teamed with Chu Ko Nu to create a mobile square, forming a wall while the crossbowmen fired at approaching infantry or cavalry. When the Qing Dynasty came to power in 1644, they created the Old Han Army of Qiang Pikemen and Chu Ko Nu to honor the original army of the Later Han dynasty. They were also used with the Ming Army alongside Keshik cavalrymen.

In the 1800s, with China facing European countries with firearms, the Qiang Pikeman became relics of the past as spears were dropped to pick up rifles. Yet they continued to play a major role in the Imperial Chinese Army until the early 1900s.